Error during authentication for model o1: Rate limited by Puter.js API. Try again after 60 seconds.

by

Rust armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed is free.

On May 23rd, a 28-year-old individual, who had been imprisoned for involuntary manslaughter following the 2021 fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, was confirmed by the New Mexico Corrections Department to have been released, according to NBC News.

Gutierrez-Reed was released under double supervision, which means she’s still serving both her probation period and her parole period.

Come April 2024, I found myself facing an 18-month stint in a correctional facility, as handed down by the court. This decision came after being convicted by a New Mexico jury for my role as the armorer on the set of “Rust”. The judge presiding over my sentencing stated that, during this time, I was responsible for transforming a safe weapon into a deadly one when a live round was accidentally discharged from a prop gun in the hands of Alec Baldwin.

The judge informed Gutierrez-Reed, “It appears your actions represent a severe act of violence,” he said. “As the one responsible for maintaining weapons safely, you served as the barrier preventing an instrument capable of taking a life from falling into the wrong hands.

In addition to being charged with involuntary manslaughter due to a shooting incident, Baldwin was also involved in this case. However, the charges against the 67-year-old, who denied any wrongdoing, were dropped permanently in July 2024. This decision came after accusations that the prosecution had withheld crucial evidence.

At Baldwin’s trial, crime scene expert Marissa Poppell stated under oath that ex-Arizona police officer Troy Teske, who was a friend of Gutierrez-Reed’s father, veteran Hollywood armorer Thell Reed, had provided her live ammunition after the verdict in Gutierrez-Reed’s case. Teske claimed that these bullets were connected to the Rust case.

Poppell stated that she filed the ammunition documentation under an alternate case reference, describing it as a “supplementary report.” However, she disputed claims made by Baldwin’s lawyers suggesting this action was deliberate and aimed at concealing it from the defense.

In simpler terms, Baldwin’s legal team stated they weren’t aware of the ammunition Teske supplied. They asserted that knowing about it would have strengthened the defense case for the actor from “30 Rock.

As reported by Alec Baldwin’s spouse, Hilaria Baldwin, the actor has been going through a significant deterioration in his mental health following the shooting incident.

In the February episode of The Baldwins, she disclosed that he was dealing with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). He often questions in his toughest times, “If an accident had to occur today, why am I the one spared? Why couldn’t it have been me instead?

For more on the tragic events that unfolded on the Rust set, keep reading.

A video showing Alec Baldwin practicing the church scene where he brandished a firearm was exhibited to the court as the trial began on July 10.

He is overhearing someone say, “Let’s bring it out then?”, as he repeatedly draws his gun from under his coat, three times in total.

In a clear and straightforward manner, defense attorney Alex Spiro stressed in his initial remarks that his client is an actor. He further explained that if it’s true that the gun was fired (a point repeatedly refuted by Baldwin), his client would not be held accountable for Halyna Hutchins’ unfortunate demise.

Spiro stated that he had no information nor grounds to believe that bullet in the gun was live.

Spiro listened to the 911 call that the script supervisor had made following the shooting of Hutchins at 1:46 PM on October 21, 2021, on the film set.

The caller expressed frustration over an annoying advertisement that demanded to know about revisions during lunch, saying, “This irritating ad… it’s his fault.

In March 2023, the first assistant director named David Halls received a sentence of six months’ unsupervised probation following his plea of ‘no contest’ to a misdemeanor accusation of recklessly handling a dangerous weapon.

It was found out that Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, who worked as a production armorer, and Halls were the individuals who had the firearm immediately prior to the deadly shooting, which was later handed over to Alec Baldwin.

In March, Gutierrez was declared responsible for involuntary manslaughter and was given a prison term of up to 18 months. If convicted, Baldwin will face the same sentence length.

During Spiro’s initial address, the state voiced various concerns, among them being their disagreement when he stated that it is inherent in human nature, as well as a part of the grieving process, for individuals to strive for understanding and justice following a catastrophe.

In Spiro’s summary, he expressed that justice equals truth. However, it’s a profoundly unfortunate situation that Alec Baldwin did not commit any crime.

As an over-the-moon fan, let me share my account: Testimony kicked off on July 10 with the prosecution calling upon none other than Nicholas LeFleur, a Santa Fe law enforcement officer who was then serving under the sheriff’s office. Remarkably, he was the first responder at Bonanza Creek Ranch following the unfortunate incident involving Hutchins, having arrived there after the shooting.

As a lifestyle expert, I’d rephrase it like this: In the heat of pre-trial motions, I found myself advocating for the release of footage from my body cam, a decision met with strong opposition by the defense. This footage was crucial and ultimately played for the jury, showcasing tense moments where Hutchins was being tended to following her shooting. Initially, we were inside the church before she was transferred into an ambulance for additional care, as I testified in court, while we awaited a helicopter’s arrival to transport her to the hospital.

According to LeFleur’s testimony, he recalled going to his car to retrieve crime scene tape to establish a boundary (this is visible in the body-camera video), but he wasn’t sure whether he was instructed to do so or if it was an automatic response.

“I knew we needed to start one,” he said.

According to LeFleur, Baldwin, who was filmed smoking, wasn’t isolated from other witnesses prior to giving his statement to the authorities, but he was instructed to stop speaking.

During questioning, LeFleur stated that at the time he hung up the tape, he was unsure if a criminal act had taken place or if it was merely an accident.

During cross-examination, Officer LeFleur admitted that while he testified for the prosecution that he told Baldwin not to converse with other witnesses, he didn’t subsequently remind or instruct the actor to stop talking to others. Moreover, the officer confirmed that it was usually people who approached Baldwin to chat, as per Spiro’s question.

Additionally, as Spiro pointed out, there were multiple police vehicles present on location, and I, as a bystander, was given the opportunity to sit in any one of those cruisers, keeping a safe distance from others. However, none of the officers requested me to do so. LeFleur concurred with this observation.

During their search of the Rust set after the shooting incident, Marissa Poppell, a crime scene technician from the Santa Fe Sherriff’s Office, testified on July 11 that they discovered both functioning and supposedly inactive bullets.

During Spiro’s questioning, it was revealed that there were real bullets present – stored inside a munitions box and holsters for two actors. The images presented in court showed that the real ammunition had a silver mark at the base, while the dummy rounds appeared to be more golden or bronze in color.

Spiro’s hypothesis suggests that the Starline nickel live ammunition and the Starline nickle dummies may have been mistakenly mixed up in that location, given their resemblance.

She said yes. Added Spiro? “In other words, somebody could have mistaken one for the other, right?”

Poppell replied, “Yes.”

Based on her July 10th statement, it was Poppell who retrieved Baldwin’s shoulder holster from the church following the shooting, and this holster contained a single live bullet.

During the jury’s lunch break, First Judicial District Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer permitted prosecutors to present as evidence a segment of a phone call Alec Baldwin made to his wife Hilaria Baldwin from the police station following the shooting incident. In this conversation, he urged her to visit him in New Mexico, stating they would “enjoy themselves.

In court, Kari Morrissey, the special prosecutor, stated that when Baldwin placed the call, he wasn’t aware that Hutchins had passed away, but he did know she was severely hurt.

If the defense hadn’t repeatedly emphasized his state of panic and distress, Morrissey suggested, it might not have been significant to consider. However, it seems he was actually making plans for a trip instead.

The judge informed Baldwin’s legal team, who raised objections on multiple occasions, “Indeed, I believe it is pertinent to address the points you have made regarding Mr. Baldwin’s emotional state, as it is a factor we should consider significant.

At Spiro’s cross, Poppell asserted that she hadn’t concealed evidence by failing to include a box of bullets received from a helpful stranger post-Gutierrez’s trial in the collective Rust-related proof. She also claimed that she never shared any evidence with the defense.

Morrissey pointed out that the individual who provided Poppell with weapons was a friend of Gutierrez’s father, the well-known Hollywood armorer Thell Reed. The prosecution hinted that this man aimed to incriminate Seth Kenney, the supplier of the firearm on the set of Rust, for bringing live ammunition to the location.

During the course of her redirection, Poppell stated that she lacked evidence proving Kenney transported live ammunition for setting it off, but she did possess evidence implicating Gutierrez in this regard.

Jason Bowles, attorney for Gutierrez, expressed astonishment to NBC News, stating it was incredibly surprising that the bullets in question hadn’t been examined to determine if they matched those discovered on the Rust film set.

Bowles stated that they had been concealing the ball, but only revealed this during the court proceedings. He emphasized that to uncover the whole truth, one must pursue every possible clue or lead.

On the morning of July 12, the jury was just getting settled when Judge Sommer dismissed them for the day following a defense motion alleging that the state had hidden crucial evidence.

Testified that Troy Teske, a friend of Gutierrez’s father and initially recognized as a “Good Samaritan,” handed over a crate of ammunition to him, following the conviction of involuntary manslaughter against Gutierrez in March, which was connected to Hutchins’ death.

Previously, Spiro asked Poppell why she hadn’t placed the Rust case evidence box among the other pieces.

This morning, prior to the arrival of the jury, Poppell once more asserted that he hadn’t deliberately concealed anything. He explained to Spiro that he was told to categorize the box under a different case number, which is why he complied with the instruction.

According to the defense’s claim, it was hidden from Alec Baldwin that there existed proof indicating that the live ammunition found on set originated from Seth Kenney.

Following a midday pause, the prosecution summoned Kenney, the proprietor of PDQ Props, who was contracted for supplying the Rust film set with fake guns and blank ammunition, to deliver testimony in a session not attended by the jury, as part of a hearing on the defense’s motion.

In his testimony, Kenney stated that since he had provided over a thousand dummy rounds, there was no doubt or uncertainty in his mind about his ability to bring real ammunition on set when needed.

Morrissey called the defense’s attempt to blame Kenney “a wild goose chase.”

Morrissey voluntarily consented to testify and clarify her involvement, or rather lack of it, regarding why a box of ammunition supplied by Teske was omitted from the evidence presented in the Rust case.

She stated that Jason Bowles, attorney for Gutierrez, knew Teske intended to provide him with the specific ammunition and, upon presenting her a photo of those rounds, she perceived them as distinct from the live rounds discovered on the Rust set.

Morrissey shared that Bowles informed Teske he wouldn’t be needed as a witness. Moreover, after Teske delivered the rounds to the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office, Det. Alexandra Hancock (now Cpl.) subsequently indicated they would be kept as evidence.

Morrissey testified she had “no idea” it wouldn’t be filed under the Rust case number.

Teske’s submissions, as Morrissey stated, “would not have harmed the state’s argument,” and he added, “They would have been the most ideal evidence I could have wished for.

As a die-hard admirer, I can’t help but share my excitement over Judge Sommer’s ruling! In legal terms, he dismissed the case against Mr. Baldwin with prejudice. This means that the same accusation can’t be brought up again in the future. It feels like a victory for justice and fairness, and it fills me with admiration for our legal system.

In response to the defense’s argument that crucial evidence might have been withheld by the state, the judge stated, “Dismissing the case appears to be the most appropriate action in this situation.

Baldwin’s eyes welled up promptly when it was evident how Sommer intended to make a decision, and so did Hilaria. They both were present every day during the trial, along with Baldwin’s brother-in-law Stephen.

Read More

2025-05-24 01:19